Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

[KolaKube]

Hey there,

As some of you know, I have been looking around for a server to host 64 player LANs with and also to act as an online unranked server again, for 64 players.

I’m considering buying this direct from Dell as I have had great experience from my monitors 2405 and 3007 – both are superb!!!

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&kc=305&l=en&oc=SC051451&s=bsd&sbc=pedge_sc1425_ide

To get to the point, Will this server be enough??

I like the way you can add a processor at a later date and upgrade memory, meaning it will be future proofed to some extent.

On the above note, can anyone clarify if the end user CAN upgrade these servers with ease?

I understand the RAM would have to be immediately upgraded to allow it to fit in with what EA state server specs should be. Like I say, if I can do this myself, no probs, If not, there’s no way on earth I am paying Dell that much to do it!!

Mickey

[HF_Martini6]

Re: Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

i used my old Computer to host 3 BF2 Servers (64 Players), 2BF1942 Servers and 1 CoD2 Server (all dedicated).
That Computer has following specs:

AMD 3000+ @ 2,4GHz
1536MB DDR400 RAM
20GB System Disk
80GB File + Server Disk
4 Network Adapters (Onboard incl.), 1 Copper, 2 Dual GigaBit Fibre
Wndows XP SP1

And it worked fine, no lags, no problems........

[KolaKube]

Re: Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

DAMN IT!!!! I forgot to post the link re my 1st post!!!! Doh!!!!

http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukbsdt1&kc=305&l=en&oc=SC051451&s=bsd&sbc=pedge_sc1425_ide

Hi HF, now that I have had the great brainwave of including the above link please can you take a peak and see what you think fella.

Thanks for giving me your specs, it gives me a good base to go from.

Did you use VoIP re that on the same server?

What did you use for switches?

Mickey

[frazzman]

Re: Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

f33km3!! thats a sweet deal i reakon for a brand new 1U rack :P

If your willing to take the gamble tho you can find LOTS of nice hardware on ebay. Recently i saw a similar server go for sale for £25 on a police auction site, it had 4gig of ECC ram inside it!!. I mean if you sold the RAM and binned the case youd prolly be able to buy a brand new 3U setup!!!!!

[KolaKube]

Re: Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

ha ha yeah, you have a good point.

I would gladly take risks if it were for a works server but not for a LAN where I will have 64 people looking at me when it crashes.:cry:

I trust Dell, so if this server will pull it off I'll go for it.

So, do you think it can handel it? Would you go for it if you were me?

[frazzman]

Re: Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

Hmm if your not a hardware guru then having a factory guaranteee on your machine and any upgrades is worth its weight in gold. Im not too sure about DELL servers, they "seem" to be top flight but if they shape up anything like the home PC's i would find another maker.

If your going for that server i would recommend maxing as much as you can afford to start with dont skimp. I say this because if things dont work out at home with your server its still got enough features to sell on as a colocated machine to someone else.

I cant stress enough about one point in particular..,

SHOP AROUND !!!

You may find a very suprising deal somewhere along the line.

I would gladly take risks if it were for a works server but not for a LAN where I will have 64 people looking at me when it crashes.:cry:

Server crashes happen doesnt matter what spec you have .., get used to it. Its one of those things EVERY admin has to deal with once and a while.

i used my old Computer to host 3 BF2 Servers (64 Players), 2BF1942 Servers and 1 CoD2 Server (all dedicated).
That Computer has following specs:

AMD 3000+ @ 2,4GHz
1536MB DDR400 RAM
20GB System Disk
80GB File + Server Disk
4 Network Adapters (Onboard incl.), 1 Copper, 2 Dual GigaBit Fibre
Wndows XP SP1

And it worked fine, no lags, no problems........

Just for the record..... what Net connection do you have? and did you ever get a full server?

[KolaKube]

Re: Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

No, never got a full server, exploring all options first.

I like the protability of this and the fact it will fit into the same rackmount to avoid damage in transit re LANs etc.

The connection I currently have is not enough I know, but I have no contract stopping me getting better or just upgrading.

Im with BT and again, have enjoyed a great service from them from start to finish. If I could stay with BT I would unless you know something I don't

[frazzman]

Re: Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

The 4 main questions you want to be asking your isp are:


Will they allow you to run a gameserver?
Whats your line contention ratio (ie: the maxmimum amount of people that are assigned to your network, @ the most this should be 33:1, 1:1 is ideal but expensive, but 20:1 is also available.)
Whats your upload speed? you need 512kb/s and over i reakon.
Are there any bandwidth limitations?

Just to add .., it would also be preferable to have a connection that is FastPath rather than interleaved. The latter is known to increase ping times dramatically.

After all thats been said you can rent a managed dedicated server (to do what you want with not just gameserver)for as little as £70 pcm so youve gotta weigh it all up to see if its actually worth your while.

[KolaKube]

Re: Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

Thanks mate,

The main reason for the server is for LAN parties so we need the physical server as opposed to vitual renting of one.

What conncetion would I need for 16 player or 32?

Does it say anywhere IE set in stone.

Hey, your dodging my Q. Will the Dell server linked to above be enough


Thanks for all your help so far mate

[frazzman]

Re: Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

Thanks mate,

The main reason for the server is for LAN parties so we need the physical server as opposed to vitual renting of one.

What conncetion would I need for 16 player or 32?

Does it say anywhere IE set in stone.

Hey, your dodging my Q. Will the Dell server linked to above be enough

Thanks for all your help so far mate

lol im good at dodging questions but yeh itll do

If you only using it for LAN parties then yeh sall looking good, could do with gigabit networking hardware tho if your really stuck for a hardware fix

As for the managed dedicated servers they arnt virtual infact some hosters give you the option of renting the server for 2yrs and owning the physical machine at the end of that!!

Im not 100% sure if there are any line specs that you MUST adhere to that are set in stone, maybe theres someone else around in here that could tell you the maths of it all? ie:1 person played for 4hrs used 80meg of upload limit + server load etc etc etc, its quite a complicated thing and a little beyond me in places.

Obviously faster, line less contention, no limits would be what your looking for, but that comes at a hefty price no doubt for home useage.

[KolaKube]

Re: Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

but if these rented servers arn't virtual and are acctually in my house, ill still need a super fast connection etc on top of that

Isn't that going to cost even more?

I must have got this wrong.

[[2bit]Modmaven]

Re: Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

Remember too when you are dealing with servers that they use REGISTERED ram, which is always more expensive. I work in IT at a college, and we have about 7 dell servers that all work great...

[KolaKube]

Re: Will this sufice as a dedicated BF2 server? Could this be the 1??

Hi [2bit]


From the link above to the Dell site these servers use DDR2 SDRAM Memory

I dont think thats too expensive is it? gonna check now

EDIT

http://www.ebuyer.co.uk/customer/search/index.html?rb=18942372690&intSubcatUID=1701&strSearch=DDR2+SDRAM

Is this the right stuff?? If so it seems to range big time - Techies opinions pls

Bumpy Bumpy